But in comments to Press TV seven years ago, he said: "There is pressure on the BBC from probably Mark Thompson, who seems to me to have an agenda in this respect.

"There seems to be a great deal of pressure on the BBC from the Israeli government and the Israeli embassy, and they are very assertive towards all journalists and to the BBC itself - they challenge every single thing on reporting the whole time.”

2

An appearance by the Labour leader on Iranian state TV saw him claim the Israeli embassy in the UK puts pressure on the BBCCredit: Reuters

He added: "I think there is a bias towards saying that Israel is a democracy in the Middle East, that Israel has a right to exist, that Israel has its security concerns."

Under the Labour party’s code on anti-Semitism, a person would be in breach for questioning Israel's right to exist.

Jeremy Corbyn admits Labour have been ‘too slow’ to tackle anti-Semitism and admits it is a ‘real problem’

But a Labour spokesman denied this was the case, saying: "Jeremy was arguing that despite the occupation of Palestinian territory and the lack of a Palestinian state, Israeli concerns and perspectives are more likely to appear prominently in news reporting than Palestinian ones.

​"Jeremy is committed to a comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on a two-state solution - a secure Israel alongside a secure and viable state of Palestine.

"The Israeli government is well known to run an effective and highly professional media operation."

However Labour MP John Mann, chair of the all-party group on anti-Semitism, said: “I’m sure Jeremy will want to set the record state immediately - preferably by making a statement on the BBC.”

Unearthed speech by Jeremy Corbyn would have breached Labour party's own code on anti-Semitism

“Do you therefore think that Israel is NOT a democracy, does NOT have a right to exist and does NOT have security concerns?

“And that an organisation is biased if it DOES believe these things? Wow. That seems to differ somewhat from the policy of the party you lead.”

And Jennifer Gerber, director of Labour Friends of Israel, said: "In these deplorable remarks, not only does Jeremy Corbyn use another appearance on Iranian state TV to engage in further wild conspiracy theories about Israel, he also questions the Jewish state's right to exist.

“Is it any wonder he has resisted so hard adopting the full IHRA definition of antisemitism?"

MOST READ IN POLITICS:

Exclusive

FLAT'S RICH!

Labour plot buy-to-let raid yet a quarter of its front bench own second homes

CAM'S HELL

David Cameron reveals emotional ‘torture’ over death of his ‘darling boy’, 6

BOJO'S BROOD

'LIARS' OF LEAVE

BEEB BAN

Nigel Farage boycotts BBC after accusing it of treating him like a 'war criminal'

JAIL SICKIES SOAR

Prison sick leave crisis as record number of staff signed off with stress

A spokesman for Labour Against Antisemitism said: “This film reveals once again why Jeremy Corbyn might have a problem if the Labour Party re-adopts the IHRA definition of antisemitism definition.

“Questioning Israel’s right to exist, as Mr Corbyn appears to do, could be defined as anti-Semitic under the IHRA definition, and many Jews would find such comments highly offensive.

“His comments also suggest he believes that there is some kind of pro-Israeli agenda at the heart of the BBC – a bizarre suggestion that echoes historical and racially motivated fears of Jewish conspiracy.”